Contemporary & Modern for Young Dancers

[Redstorm]

I have a question that may have been answered previously, so forgive me if I am repeating.

As you know, dd changed studios and now attends a studio with a professional modern company attached. The classical training she receives there is exceptional and she has improved tremendously in a short amount of time.

Since she is in the 2nd company, dd is afforded the opportunity to take other forms of dance and is required to take modern and contemporary. She loves both modern and contemporary and does well in the classes.

Is this good for young dancers to learn other forms of dance while they are training in classical? My personal feelings say yes. I think any dancer would be more well rounded if they have a wider area of expertise, but I was wondering what the professionals think about this. Do you think that introducing other dance forms will confuse the younger dancer and slow down thier progress?

[syr]

Redstorm, I will let the professionals weigh in on the more technical issues of how modern works muscles in a different way, and other matters about how a dance student learns to use his/her body differently in ballet and modern, and how that affect their ballet dancing.

 

From a mom pespective, I will mention a few things. From 10th grade on my daughter attended three different professional training schools - two residency, and one company-related. In all of these modern was a small but regular part of the curriculum. So I think that you can rest easy that it is now considered a recommended or necessary part of a serious ballet student's curriculum. I think it was helpful to my daughter that she had taken modern earlier (by choice), back in her home studio - especially as it turned that she had a strength or flair in this direction (modern and contemporary ballet) - and we don't know, at an early age, necessarily where those strengths will turn out to be.

 

I'll also mention that for two of her friends, although they were all about ballet in their early years, due to a variety of factors, they are each persuing bachelors of fine arts now in well known colleges with very very strong modern departments. And hope to have a performance career in modern dance. One girl, in fact, encountered a foot problem that made ballet impossible as a career, but it is not an impediment to modern. So while at age 12 she thought her world had come to an end, when she redefined herself as a dancer and a performer (trying out musical theater etc. throughout highschool, taking the modern that she could on top of continuing with ballet) - she had some options left to her in the field that she loved.

 

So, I think there are a range of reasons, to be glad that your daughter has this extra opportunity (or requirement).